WorkWise: Sell your way into a job in sales

Thursday

Jan 31, 2008 at 12:01 AMJan 31, 2008 at 2:32 PM

Whether you want your first sales job or a new one, you can build the most successful campaign for yourself by acting like a salesperson. Doing so lets employers see the commodity they're likely to hire, and a hint of how that commodity performs on the job.

Mildred L. Culp

Whether you want your first sales job or a new one, you can build the most successful campaign for yourself by acting like a salesperson. Doing so lets employers see the commodity they're likely to hire, and a hint of how that commodity performs on the job.

Many salespeople don't realize that job hunting should be easier for them than any other kind of worker, because they can conduct their search for their career's "customer" -- an employer -- just the way they develop a sales campaign. If you've been selling, you may only need to be reminded about what to do. If you haven't, the experience of finding a sales job will teach you the basics of selling.

Research Your Market

Companies do market research before they turn products over to their sales staff. Hunting for a new sales position requires you to do the same. Break the process down by:

-- Deciding what product or service you want to sell -- tangible or intangible.

-- Identifying the customer base you want to reach -- corporate, small business or consumer.

-- Researching companies to target.

Like many people in sales, you may believe that you can sell any product or service. This flexibility has a price -- lack of focus. You'll create a more rewarding and direct job search if you spend a few minutes analyzing what you'd really like to sell. Whether you sell intangibles, such as financial services or cruises, or tangibles, which range from construction supplies to medical equipment, you can predict greater job satisfaction if the product you sell has some meaning to you. Job satisfaction is a hedge against job-hunting again soon.

Do your research efficiently. Invest 15 minutes or a half hour at your library reading materials about industry growth. (Ask the reference librarian to help.) Choose two or three industries that appeal to you.

Meanwhile, talk to people in sales organizations to identify industries and companies of particular promise in the local area. If you're not a member of sales associations, ask friends in sales which groups they'd recommend. Attend an introductory meeting or two to assess which will best help you grow.

Prioritize the industries you identify, and get the names of at least 20 companies in your top industry (Plan A) quickly by using the Yellow Pages; an index of local companies divided by SIC (standard industrial classification) code; and industry directories. If only one industry interests you, prioritize the kinds of companies within it. Plan A companies might be those selling to a single market only, or a local or domestic market vs. the international. Plan B is your second- choice market.

Now that you know the industry or industries you want to explore, select a customer base that will keep you satisfied on the job. Recognize that you're looking for a compatible, not perfect customer base. If you like spontaneity, you may want to work with the general public. Perhaps you admire small business owners for their spunk. Remember, their thin margins and seat-of-the-pants management style can make it difficult to sell expensive products or services. What about corporate customers, who typically have the most money to spend?

Marketing Yourself

After you've written a one-page resume filled with accomplishments, using action verbs and set off with bullets, contact recruiters whose names you get by referral, from human resources departments in companies where you'd like to work, or through the telephone directory.

Don't just send your resume to employment agencies and wait. You wouldn't just send written materials to a potential customer and wait for him to respond, would you? Call each employment agent to determine whether he still places in your field. Get referrals if he doesn't. While you may not necessarily locate a recruiter who places you, you can expect to learn about likely companies.

Treat your potential workplace "customer" the same way. Don't just mail a batch of resumes to him. Will you be cold calling when you sell your new product or service? Then cold call your potential new boss. Find people inside the organization who can refer you, if at all possible. If not, get a referral from outside the company.

If cold calling doesn't work, remember that the employer may be testing your level of persistence. Motivate someone in-house to take your resume to the employer, or at least make a telephone call to him on your behalf. If, two or three weeks later, nothing happens, send a direct mail letter and resume. Then follow up with a telephone call. If that fails, wait another two or three weeks to make a cold call, in-person appearance.

Once you've established contact, continue to market your sales ability as you would any other product or service. Sell the specific benefits you bring to an organization. If you're not hired immediately, send a thank-you note immediately, and follow up when the employer says you can. Stay in touch by sending articles you find that may interest him. You'll transform yourself into the quintessential salesperson who sells not just his product or service, but himself.